Sunday, April 20, 2008

This week: 18th. April 2008

Weather Report Week Ending 18/4/08
Maximum Temperature for the week 22.6C (73F) on Fri. 1 reading above our monthly average of 21.8C.
Minimum Temperature for the week 4.5C (40F) on Mon. 3 readings above our monthly average of 8.7C.
Rainfall for the Week 3.8mm (11 points) 1 day of rainfall recorded.
Weather data thanks to BOM & Nuriootpa Viticulture Research Centre.

A fabulous autumn week for us yet again this week. Very stable air mass has meant very little change all week. We started with some rain on Saturday but since then there has been very little change from one day to the next.
This week in the vineyard:
I have begun to prepare to plant one of our blocks of Shiraz to a permanent sward. Some of our premium Shiraz blocks we have planted with a fescue, we use this to reduce the available moisture early in spring. This enables us to reduce cropping levels a little in most seasons, to give us better quality fruit at the other end of the season. These blocks are not cultivated at all, so there is also a financial benefit for us. Still no rain in the forecast for us, so I am still waiting to start seeding. I have spent quite a bit of this week organizing my trip overseas, now only 5 weeks until I leave home for 4 months.

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